Machine for treating pineapples.



No. 735,649. PATBNTED AUG. 4, 1903.

u. W. ZA'STROW.

MACHINE FOR TREATING PINEAPPLES.

APPLICATION FILED MALA. 190s. No MODEL. 2 SHEETS-snm 2.

' fvenlr Wzessesn fl v Jzgys- UNITED STATES" Patented August 4, 1903.

l' PATENT OFFICE.

MACHINE FOR TREATI'NG PINEAPPLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,649, dated August 4, 1903.

Application filed March 4, 1903.

To a/ZZ whom it' may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WILLIAM ZAs- TROW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, Stateof Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Treating Pineapples, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for treating fruit such as pineapples to prepare them for canning. y I have shown my improvement as applied to the type of machine shown in' my Patent No. 482,493, dated September 13,1892; but it will be understood that my invention may be employed in other types of machines.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device which will automatically feed the pineapple or other article to the cutter at a uniform speed, and thereby insure that the slices will be of a uniform or equal thickness.

.To this end the invention consists in the novel features of construction and combination of, parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Y

Figure l illustrates a side elevation of a machine provided with my improved feed device. Fig. 2 illustrates a top plan view of same, and Fig. 3 illustrates a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

The letter A designates the bed-piece of the machine, which consists of a hollow casting with a longitudinal slot A' in its topl and is supported on suitable legs B. A carriage C rests on top of the bed-piece A and has a guide-rib C', tting the slot A', which forms a slideway for it, and said carriage has a rack D, fastened to said rib and contained within the bed-piece A. A segment-gear D engages said rack and is worked by a lever E on its shaft. By this means the carriage may be reciprocated. A circular head F is supported on the front side of the carriage and carries a pin G, which projects from said head, and said head and pin are movable horizontally with the said carriage. A'standard J is stationed at a suitable place on the bed-piece A, and this standard carries a rotary head L, having the form of a pulley, around which a belt (not shown) may be run to revolve said head. The particular construction and arn serai No. 146,039. (No model.)

rangement of this head are not a part of the present invention and are shown in my said former patent. A tube N extends from the head L in a direction parallel with the bed.- piece A, and the bore of said tube is in line with the central bore through said head and receives the pineapple or other article after it passes through said head and guides the same toward the slicing device. extends to the rear end of the machine, where it is supported by a standard Q, xed upon the bed-piece A, and between said standards J and Q the tube N is provided with a longitudinal slot h in its upper side to give access thereto.

A shaft R is mounted at one side of the machine vin suitable bearings R'- and carries at one end a circular disk S, which latter in turn carries suitable knife-blades T, which revolve across the end of the tube N. A pul- `ley V is secured on the end of the shaft R, by means of which the shaft, circular disk, and knife-blades are revolved. A sleeve W is supported on the shaft R and is adapted to be moved longitudinally thereon, and at one end said sleeve is provided with an operating-lever w, which projects at right angles to said sleeve and over the slot hin the tube N. lA web w' connects the sleeve and operating-lever and gives strength to the latter. An arm 10.2 projects downwardly from the operating-lever w, and said arm in the present instance is curved inwardly and projects through the slot 71. into the tube N, as clearly seen in Fig. 3. A cord 'x is secured at one end to the sleeve W and passes over a pulley which latter is attached to the frame of the machine, and the` lower pendent end of said cord carries a weight m2. A receptacle 003 receives the sliced pineapple as it is cut bythe knife-blades.

In operation the arm wL takes in the tube behind the pineapples y, which have been previously shaped and prepared by passing through the rotary head L, and the weight :c2 draws the sleeve, lever, and arm toward the knife-blades T at the end of the tube and slices the pineapple as it is automatically fed forward. It will be seen that the pressure of the arm cu2 against the pineapples in the tube is regulated by the size ofthe weight, and as long as the same Weight is used the pressure l against the pineapples is always the same and the pineapples are fed through the tube to the knife-blades at a uniform rate of speed. Vhen the arm @v2 reaches the end of the slot h, the operator raises the lever w and returns it to the starting-point by sliding the sleeve on the shaft R and inserts the arm behind another row of treated pineapples to be sliced.

It is obvious the machine may be used for treating articles other than pineapples.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a device of the class described the combination of a shaft; a tube at one side and extending in a direction parallel with said shaft and provided with a slot in its upper side; a circular disk carried on said shaft and adapted to be revolved across one end of said tube; a rotary head at the other end of said tube; a sleeve movable on said shaft and having a lever which projects at right angles to and extends over the slot in said tube, said lever having a downwardly-projecting arm which enters the slot of said tube; a weight and a fiexible device connecting the weight and said sleeve whereby to cause the downwardly projecting arm to move through the tube between the rotary head and the circular disk.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE WILLIAM ZASTROW.

Witnesses:

FELIX R. SULLIVAN, LoUIs A. KATZENBERGER. 

